NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 60

Firewatch
Residential
ARKANSAS
Hoarding conditions hamper rescue
efforts in fatal house fire
Firefighters responding to an early
morning house fire were hampered by
hoarding conditions as they attempted
to rescue the occupants of the single-story residence. One occupant died
and a second was injured in the fire.
A firefighter also suffered a laceration
injury to his hand while providing suppression support.
Firefighters were dispatched to the
scene at 1:52 a.m. following a phone
call from one of the occupants, who
reported a structure fire with a person
trapped.
An arriving engine company was
able to confirm that an occupant was
still inside the house and unable to
evacuate on her own due to a mobility
disability. Crews reported smoke showing from all the eaves of the house, but
no visible flames.
Crews pulled a hose line to the front
door and formed a rescue team, adding
a second line with the arrival of additional personnel. Rescue crews working
inside the residence were slowed by
piles of accumulated material that provided little open space to maneuver.
As interior operations continued,
flames began to show from an attached
garage. Crews from a ladder company
entered the garage through an overhead door and extinguished the fire.
One of the home's occupants who
had been waiting at the scene was subsequently transported to the hospital
after requesting medical assistance.
After much effort by multiple crew
members, the rescue team was able to
successfully remove the victim to the
exterior, where she was evaluated by a
medical team and found to be deceased.
A coroner was notified and the victim
was transported to the local morgue.

Shortly after removal of the victim,
there was a partial roof collapse and
extreme fire growth over the garage,
and all personnel were evacuated from
the structure. Extinguishment was
completed from the exterior.
Investigators determined that the
fire began in the garage area, where a
hobby aircraft had been placed on a
foam recliner cushion as its battery was
being recharged. Thermal runaway of
the lithium ion battery ignited the seat
cushion and eventually caused a flashover in the garage, where considerable
material, including ten gallons of gasoline, was stored.
With the exception of a smoke detector in the attic, batteries had been
removed from all smoke detectors
inside the residence, causing a delay in
the fire's detection by the residents.
The residence was a single-story
wood structure, with a partial brick
veneer. It occupied a ground-floor area
of 3,156 square feet (293 square meters).
Damage to the structure, valued at
$200,000, was estimated at $100,000.
The fire caused an addition $30,000
in damage to the contents, valued at
$50,000.

Crews advanced with the primary
attack line to an apartment on the
second floor, where they found that
the sprinkler system had activated and
already extinguished the fire. No signs
were found of additional fire spread.
Crews installed sprinkler wedges into
the activated sprinkler head in order to
control water flow and called the utility company to cut power to the main
apartment and two adjoining apartments that experienced water damage.
Investigators determined that that
the fire started when the child used a
lighter to ignite a plastic toy that was
sitting on a carpeted floor of the apartment. Sprinklers activated and were
able to confine the fire to the toy and
immediate carpet area.
The apartment building was a
two-story structure. No additional
information was available on its size or
structural elements.
The fire caused $40,000 in damage
to the structure, valued at $840,000,
and $6,000 in damage to contents,
valued at $8,000. There were no
injuries.

NORTH CAROLINA
Sprinkler extinguishes fire started by
child playing with lighter

A teenaged boy died in a midday house
fire that was started by a space heater.
Firefighters were dispatched to the
scene after a neighbor heard explosions
and saw fire at the residence and called
911 at 3:38 p.m.
Arriving crews found heavy smoke
and fire venting from living room windows at the front and one side of the
house. Nearby residents were unsure
if occupants were in the home but
reported that a teenage resident had
been seen entering the residence sometime earlier.
As crews entered the house to initiate a transitional fire attack, they were
joined by a rescue team, which began
searching for possible occupants. A
backup line was stretched to the front
door, but interior crews were able to

An apartment fire ignited by a child
playing with a lighter was extinguished
by the unit's sprinkler system before
the fire could spread, according to fire
department reports.
Firefighters were dispatched to a
multifamily apartment complex by a
report of an alarm activation at 9:13
a.m. Arriving crews reported no signs
of fire from the building exterior. A
building occupant met crews at the
front door and advised them of an
active fire in an upstairs unit.
Firefighters deployed two hose lines
and pulled them into the building while
other crew members began evacuating
occupants from the building.

OHIO
Space heater ignites fatal fire

FIREWATCH is a compilation of fire incidents involving a variety of occupancies and fire types. The intent of Firewatch is to illustrate the range of fire scenarios encountered by the fire service, present the challenges contained in those incidents, recount how the fire service addressed those challenges, and record the effectiveness of fire
protection systems, where such systems exist. The incidents are identified by NFPA's Research Group from fire reports submitted to NFPA by responding fire departments.
Some of the fire incidents that appear in Firewatch are augmented with details provided by media accounts.

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NFPA Journal - Spring 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Spring 2021